An Explanation
by JMA
Summary: Everyone knows how Jamws saves Severus at the Whomping Willow, but what if it was really Harry? HPSS. ch1 (pg-13) can be read as a complete story.
1. Default Chapter

Tittle- An Explanation  
  
Author- JMA  
  
Rating- err M? Nudity, slash, but no sex.  
  
Disclaimer- the usual; no money, no ownership.  
  
Pairing- HP/SS  
  
Spoilers- none  
  
Summary- Probably too short to warrant one. Sirius travels forward in time.  
  
Other- /this/ indicates thought  
  
Archive- eh  
  
"Now I want all of you to relax and free your mind, so that you may now be influenced by the cosmic forces" Madam Hawklyn said in a hypnotic voice. Or at least, a voice that was meant to be hypnotic. With a nose that put even Severus Snape to shame it came out, well, rather nasal.  
  
Sirius Black tried not to laugh as the image of Snape and Hawklyn measuring noses. He would tell his friends about that one later.  
  
The class had been studying trance predictions for a week and it had given Sirius not a single insight into the future, unless of course his daydream about the twins in Hufflepuff was caused by 'cosmic forces' rather than his hormones. Usually he'd just goof around with Padfoot and Moony but it was a full moon and James was kicked out of this class last week. He even wished he had Peter to talk to but the tower the class was held in was one of the highestat Hogwarts and it made Peter's nose bleed.  
  
/I envy him. Oh my god, I envy Peter!!!/  
  
Sirius sighed to himself and beckon the cosmos to send him a vision, hopefully concerning certain twin girls.  
  
***  
  
/ This is not a daydream. If it were I'd be covered in girls by now/  
  
Instead Sirius found himself in what was unmistakably one of Hogwarts dungeon rooms, in what looked like an office.  
  
/So the futures a dungeon. figures/  
  
He'd just started to look around said dungeon when a black shape walked straight through him, muttering to himself.  
  
/That's Snape!!/  
  
Whatever the future held for Severus Snape it apparently didn't involve cosmetic surgery. His nose was still too large and his hair still greasy, only now he looked to be somewhere in his late 30's. His face was lined and, despite  
  
his apparent rush, he seemed tired.  
  
/Either Snape's repeated so much he's broken records or he's a teacher. Potions, probably./  
  
The young student stood there for a while wondering what the hell Snape's future had to do with him when the door behind him opened and James Potter walked in.  
  
/James? But he'd be older.../  
  
"Go away Harry, I'm busy"  
  
/Harry?/  
  
Sirius looked a little closer.  
  
/It's not James. It looks like him, and Lilly too. It must be their son./  
  
He grinned at that. He wanted to someday be an uncle or something. The boy,Harry, didn't leave. He just stood there watching Snape hurry about the room.  
  
Then he grinned mischievously.  
  
/That's our boy!! Looks like he's about to pull some prank. Takes after us/  
  
He would have suggested several things Harry could do if it were possible. Instead he had to sit back and watch what the years of training in pranks he would undoubtedly give the boy could inspire.  
  
Harry took off his clothes while Snape's back was turned.  
  
/What the..?/  
  
James and Lilly had produced a good looking boy. He was shorter than either of his parents but was stocky like James. It was obvious from a glance that the well muscled boy played quidditch. Only a broom sport could have provided Harrywith that backside. Sirius was shocked.  
  
/What the hell is he thinking?/  
  
Snape turned around and dropped the bottle he'd been holding. It did not break.  
  
"Harry what are you doing?"  
  
/Just what I'd like to know/  
  
Harry just smiled and walked over to Snape. Snape let his eyes and occasionally fingertips move over the young mans body.  
  
/What the hell are you doing you pervert! That's James son!!/  
  
But Snape couldn't hear his protests. He kissed the boy.  
  
"I'll finish as soon as I can"  
  
/You son of a .../  
  
***  
  
Sirius snapped his eyes open.  
  
"Ahh it seems that one of my students had fallen into a telling-trance," Hawklyn smiled at him, "Would you like to share the vision with the class?"  
  
/Like hell/  
  
"Err, sorry. I didn't have a vision. I just fell asleep"  
  
" Falling asleep in THIS class? I suppose we can't all be receivers to the mystic channels" said a thin girl with glasses that made her look like a stick insect.  
  
Sirius glared ad stalked out.  
  
He kept quiet through most of dinner, going over the scene in his mind. He never liked Snape, and now it seemed like the greasy git might, if it was a real vision, grow up to molest James's son.  
  
/ Like hell he will./  
  
Later that night he caught Snape peering through one of the windows as he usually did during the full moon. Sirius smiled to himself and walked over to him.  
  
"Hey Severus, do you know the trick to the Whomping Willow?" 


	2. Backwards

Tittle- Willow  
  
Author- JMA  
  
Rating- none  
  
Disclaimer- the usual; no money, no ownership.  
  
Pairing- HP/SS Pre Slash  
  
Spoilers- none  
  
Summary/notes- This is the second instalment in my Whomping Willow story  
  
fixation. Not necessarily connected with part 1. We'll see I suppose.  
  
Archive- eh  
  
PLEASE READ ALL THE WAY TO THE END. It may seem like it is repeating itself but  
  
it does so for a reason.  
  
Snape didn't trust Black as far as he could throw him but what he said seemed to make sense. The Whomping Willow was dangerous but Snape could handle himself. And besides, he'd seen Mcgonagall and Lupin come down here before so he knew it was possible.  
  
/well, here goes nothing/  
  
Snape poked the knob. The tree went still.  
  
/ It worked. The little bastard was telling the truth/  
  
Of course if he wasn't Snape would have hexed him.  
  
Lucius and the others weren't interested in Potter's gang. They didn't believe him when he said something was going on. Now he was going to find out for sure what that was. Snape liked knowing things about other people. Lucius said that it would get him far and hinted about something he would tell him after they finished school.  
  
Snape rounded the corner and found the tunnel opened into a large room.   
  
/The Shrieking Shack?/  
  
It happened so fast that Snape was never quite sure exactly what happened. When it was over Snape found himself outside in the arms of James Potter.  
  
Snape didn't move for a few moments. Then he whispered,  
  
"He's a werewolf"  
  
"Snape?" Potter asked softly. It was enough to shake the other man out of his shock.  
  
"Get off me!" Snape shouted, pushing Potter away from him.  
  
"Hey! I just saved your life!"  
  
Snape was red and glaring, "You're part of this. I've seen you. YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!!!"  
  
"I DIDN'T" Potter yelled back. Then softer, "It wasn't me."  
  
***  
  
Severus Snape had been having the same dream for weeks. Except it wasn't a dream. He was reliving the time when Potter's Gang had tried to kill him. He had no idea why he this was happening now of all times. He just had the nagging feeling that he was missing something. Snape snorted and threw off his blankets. There was no point going over the details, nothing changed the fact that he'd nearly been killed.  
  
***  
  
Harry sniffed his potion and peered inside the cauldron. It was supposed to be a murky gray color and smell like oranges but somehow Harry managed to make it look orange and smell, well, he supposed that was what murky gray smelled like. Snape was busy and Ron was trying to whisper something to Hermione.  
  
"C'mon 'mione, let me see it"  
  
"No"  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked.  
  
" 'mione won't let me see the time turner"  
  
They weren't supposed to tell anyone about it but they couldn't keep it from Ron. He knew after three weeks.  
  
It had been an awfully long time since he did find out. Harry wondered what the renewed interest was due to. It had been three years since he found out.  
  
"Why Ron?"  
  
Ron just mumbled and blushed. Hermione shook her head at Harry  
  
"You don't want to know. Trust me"  
  
"I'm not going to use it!" Ron sulked.  
  
Harry wondered how Ron could fail to see the 'I'm getting very pissed off look' on Hermione's face.  
  
She grabbed the turner and thrust it into Ron's hands.  
  
/That went well/ Harry thought.   
  
The last time he pissed Hermione off he had to urinate sitting down for a day. He shuddered at the memory.  
  
"WEASLEY!! What is that in your hand!" Snape growled suddenly.  
  
Ron jumped and the Time Turner flew out of his hands and into Harry's cauldron.  
  
"My time-turner!" Hermione gasped.  
  
Harry's cauldron exploded.  
  
Harry Disappeared.  
  
Harry Reappeared.  
  
"Everyone get out of this class." Snape looked furious, "Except you three. Would someone tell me what happened?"  
  
Snape looked at Harry's clenched hands and snatched out their contents.  
  
"And who owns this?" He asked, holding up the time-turner, "Because I sincerely doubt they have the proper permits. Headmasters office. Now"  
  
***  
  
Once again the golden three had gotten away with everything. Granger had the device with the headmasters permission. Nevermind that they were extremely dangerous. Snape suspected that they had had it for a few years, certain events were now falling into place. On top of that Potter claimed not to know what happened when he disappeared, but by the way he was looking, no glaring, at Snape said differently.  
  
/The boy could get away with murder/ Snape thought/ Or attempted murder, just like his father/  
  
He had that dream again.  
  
***  
  
Snape didn't trust Black as far as he could throw him but what he said seemed to make sense. The Whomping Willow was dangerous but Snape could handle himself. And besides, he'd seen Mcgonagall and Lupin come down here before so he knew it was possible.  
  
/well, here goes nothing/  
  
Snape poked the knob. The tree went still.  
  
/ It worked. The little bastard was telling the truth/  
  
Of course if he wasn't Snape would have hexed him.  
  
Lucius and the others weren't interested in Potter's gang. They didn't believe him when he said something was going on. Now he was going to find out for sure what that was. Snape liked knowing things about other people. Lucius said that it would get him far and hinted about something he would tell him after they finished school.  
  
Snape rounded the corner and found the tunnel opened into a large room.   
  
/The Shrieking Shack?/  
  
It happened so fast that Snape was never quite sure exactly what happened. When it was over Snape found himself outside in the arms of James Potter.  
  
Snape didn't move for a few moments. Then he whispered,  
  
"He's a werewolf"  
  
"Snape?" Potter asked softly. It was enough to shake the other man out of his shock.  
  
"Get off me!" Snape shouted, pushing Potter away from him.  
  
"Hey! I just saved your life!"  
  
Snape was red and glaring, "You're part of this. I've seen you. YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!!!"  
  
"I DIDN'T" Potter yelled back.  
  
Snape glared into James Potter's green eyes.  
  
Then softer, "It wasn't me."  
  
James Potter didn't have green eyes.  
  
But his son did. 


	3. Meditations

Tittle- An Explanation III: Meditations  
  
Author- JMA  
  
Rating- none  
  
Disclaimer- the usual; no money, no ownership.  
  
Pairing- HP/SS Pre Slash  
  
Spoilers- none  
  
Summary/notes- This is the third instalment in my Whomping Willow story  
  
fixation. It moves kinda slowly but it's necessary. Sev and Harry's thoughts.  
  
Archive- eh  
  
Snape woke almost immediately.  
  
/It couldn't be. It couldn't possibly be/  
  
But the feeling that had plagued him for weeks, the feeling that he was missing something, was gone. And it was possible. Something had obviously happened to the boy when the time turner fell into his mistake of a potion. It was possible than in his anger at the time he'd missed the clues now remembered. Clues that suggested James Potter did not come to his rescue that night. As much as he tried to convince himself otherwise, he was certain that it was Harry Potter.  
  
/Fine, it was one Potter instead of another. Doesn't mean anything./  
  
But to Snape it did. It meant that he owed James nothing. He was neither a hero, nor a coward.  
  
/He meant to go through with it. They all meant to kill me. So much for the Golden Boy./  
  
His hatred for James surged, unrestrained. He had warned Dumbledore that the Dark Lord was after the Potters. He had put his life on the line for that information, believing he couldn't just let James die because James didn't let him die.  
  
/Much good that did, but then, how was I to know. But all that means nothing. He didn't chicken out, he really wanted me dead. No better than Black./  
  
But what of Harry? The obnoxious brad had saved him. So what? Snape knew full well the boy didn't like him, not that he had given him any reason to. Still, he had done what his father had not. Why?  
  
/It's not like I haven't saved his life countless times. Too many times seeing as the little shit keeps trying to get himself killed./  
  
Perhaps the boy was a coward and did it so that his father wouldn't get into trouble. That was more likely than any feeling he may have had for Snape.  
  
/Feelings for me? I'm going senile/  
  
Nevertheless, Snape could not forget the look of pure panic on Potter's face as he pulled him out of danger.  
  
/there are a million explanations for that. So it was Harry instead of James. Potter./  
  
Snape needed to hate Harry, although he wouldn't admit it. It made him feel. But it wasn't the same any more.  
  
/Oh for Merlin's sake, NOTHING has changed. He is still the pretentious, obnoxious, irksome troublemaker his father was. It changes nothing!!/  
  
He was partly right.  
  
***  
  
/I have to see Harry./  
  
***  
  
Harry had been quiet most of the day and, despite Ron and Hermione's constant prodding, had said nothing about what happened the previous day. He kept up the 'I don't remember ' façade, but he was sure at least Dumbledore knew better. Harry did remember, that was his problem.  
  
/What does it mean?/  
  
He'd always, despite what Snape said, held his father a hero in the Shrieking Shack incident. But now it seemed as if he was wrong. His father hadn't had anything to do with the whole thing. Snape was wrong thinking that his father had a hand in setting the prank up too.  
  
Harry now found himself asking the questions that he probably should have asked when he first the story, or at least in the years since. But he hadn't. A part of him now realised that it was because he was afraid of those answers, afraid of what they would mean about his dad. Recognising this made him feel guilty. If he refused to believe those things about his dad, then how could he now entertain them for the rest of the Marauders. It was possibly because the incident was no longer long in the past. For Harry it happened only yesterday.  
  
And he was there.  
  
/Why did they pull such a dangerous trick? Whose idea was it? Was it a trick?/  
  
That was the worst question of all. Did someone he loved really want Snape to die? Sure his professor was a horrible greasy git but it was no reason for trying to kill him. He didn't believe his Godfather or Lupin capable of unjustified cold-blooded murder.   
  
/Then why?/  
  
His trip may not have changed anything in the outside world. If nothing, Snape was more horrible in class. However it made Harry's insides turn about. He had even more questions, but he pushed those even further towards the back of his brain. He certainly wasn't ready for those.  
  
"Come on Harry, snap out of it!" said Ron on his way to their dorm room, "You've been out of it all day. 'Mione's worries about you."  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
"Sirius!" Roan interrupted as he saw Harry's godfather sitting on the edge of Harry's bed, "What are you doing here? Isn't it dangerous?"  
  
"Ron. Harry. It should be all right as long as I stay in here. Albus has called your other roommates out for a 'meeting' so I've got some time."   
  
Harry pushed back the other questions in his head. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"No actually. I just had the strangest feeling that I had to see you. I was about to ask if you thought anything was wrong"  
  
Harry nodded, "We have to talk." 


	4. The other side

Tittle- An Explanation IV  
  
Author- JMA  
  
Rating- hmm PG/M?  
  
Disclaimer- the usual; no money, no ownership.  
  
Pairing- HP/SS   
  
Spoilers- none  
  
Summary-Harry finally talks to his godfather. Oh, and he thinks about Snape  
  
/notes- I'm getting there. The feedback's been great. I actually have the wholething planned out now.  
  
Archive- eh. It would be quite flattering actually.  
  
  
  
/Why on earth was Harry asking about this now?/  
  
Sirius and Harry were sitting in the dorm room while Ron had gone down to the common room to keep a lookout for the other boys.  
  
" Harry, you know what happened that night."  
  
Harry got up and started pacing again, "I know what happened, but I don't know why. "  
  
"I'd like to know why this is suddenly so important? Harry, what's happened?"  
  
/Did Snape put him up to this? Had he.../  
  
"I'll kill the bastard!"  
  
Harry stopped pacing.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Harry shook his head, "Nothings happened. I just need to know why."  
  
/It must be Snape. There's no other explanation. How can I get him to tell me?/  
  
"Harry," Sirius tried another tactic, "Do you like boys?"  
  
Harry froze. /How the hell does he know? I barely know/  
  
There was a short silence. Harry was starting to get angry.  
  
"What the hell does that have to do with anything! Why won't you tell me why!,"He decided to face his suspicions. "Or did you really want him to die."  
  
Sirius was taken aback. This was not what he expected.  
  
"I..uh..that is" he saw the impending horror in his godson's eyes and started again. "I don't think I wanted him to die. I'm not a murderer. Neither was your father or Remus"  
  
"I know. Please tell me what happened."  
  
/You really want to know? That I saw you violated by that perverse bastard./  
  
He still couldn't surpress the sting of anger that flew through him when he thought about Snape molesting his best friend's son.  
  
''There are some things that are worse than any curse, Harry, and the people who are capable of them are worse than murderers,'' He said, ''it wasn't meant to hurt him, but it wasn't a prank either. It was a threat, a warning.''  
  
Harry couldn't conceive of what his godfather was talking about. He knew that Snape had been a deatheater but that was after.  
  
''What did he do?'' Harry asked.  
  
Sirius fidgeted. He could see Harry's hatred for his potion master. There was no way the greasy git could trick Harry into anything now. Perhaps he had done the right thing.  
  
''Don't worry about it. What ever it was I'm sure he won't do it now. So stop acting like it happened yesterday. I did what needed to be done at the time''  
  
''Sirius, that wasn't...''  
  
''They're coming'' Ron said, interrupting Harry and pushing his way through the door.  
  
'' I have to go. I'll be staying at the shrieking shack for a few days if you need me. Hermione said she'd bring me food.''  
  
Both Harry and Ron were too distracted to notice the slight blush that crept up on his face at the mention of their friend's name.  
  
''But I...''  
  
''Goodbye Harry, Ron'' Sirius transformed and left.  
  
'' What was that all about?'' Ron asked.  
  
****  
  
Harry was unable to sleep. I had been too late to go down and try and confront Snape when his godfather had left.  
  
//What can this all mean?//  
  
Harry wasn't used to looking for hidden meanings in things, generally going on face value or his instincts.  
  
''Mmm, god yess.''  
  
He tried to shut out the sounds Ron was making from his bed. Silencing charms were forbidden and Ron apparently had very little control over how vocal he was. The rest of the boys had taunted him at first but had gradually gotten used to it.  
  
// Yeah well I hope he's having better thoughts than I am//  
  
So what did Sirius mean? Did Snape actually do anything or didn't he? Was it something he was going to do?  
  
''...want you so bad...''  
  
The problem was that ever since he'd 'come back' from the past he found that he couldn't hate Snape, even when he was being a prick. I was almost as though he had gained some innate knowledge that he wasn't that bad.  
  
".. so nice.. harder...''  
  
There was something else, something that he was avoiding. Harry had panicked when he thought Snape was going to die. But it wasn't just panic, closer to terror.  
  
''..want more..yeah...''  
  
/I need to see him. I need to talk to him, I need../  
  
''..love you..so good.yeah baby...''  
  
Harry decided to stay where he was. Not only because Snape would kill him and probably try to get him expelled for wandering around at night, and Harry had no illusions about that. No, the main reason Harry did not get out of bed to see Snape was because he was hard.  
  
/Thank you very much Ron! I did not want to be thinking about Snape like that!!/  
  
Harry pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, where they waited impatiently.  
  
Ron didn't hear Harry's frustrated sigh.  
  
Harry didn't hear Ron crying. 


End file.
